


The Campaign

by nota999



Category: Zootopia (2016)
Genre: Elections, Gen, Politics
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-04
Updated: 2016-10-13
Packaged: 2018-05-31 03:28:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 16
Words: 20,673
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6453577
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nota999/pseuds/nota999
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In the aftermath of the events of Zootopia, the race for the mayor's office is underway. Can the idealistic young fox Todd Renard defeat the fearmongering Turnbull?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

"Todd, you have to run," the pig leaned over his cup of coffee in the cramped, but well-kept apartment in Savannah Central. The corsac fox seated across from him gave a noncommittal chuckle, but didn't say anything. "I'm serious, Todd. There's no one in the race right now half as committed to animal rights as you."

Todd sighed as he turned his mug aimlessly between his paws. "I don't know, Hubert. I'm no politician,"he turned his gaze toward the window and the billboard of the thickset bull with a tailored blue suit and a smug smile on the other side. "Besides, can you imagine me standing on a stage next to Turnbull? The guy's like twice my size."

"Who cares how big the guy is? We don't elect mayors based on how tall they are. Otherwise we'd live in a giraffocracy, Besides, with those ears of yours you might just be taller than he is."

Todd chuckled and ran his fingers through the yellow-gray fur behind his ears. " My great-grandfather must have been a fennec." The smile dropped from his face, and his ears drooped slightly. "But, I've got no political experience. I've never worked on a campaign or run for anything but senior class president in high school."

"And did you win that election?" Hubert asked.

"Well, yes, but-"

"But nothing. Besides, during Bellwether's reign of terror, you stood up for predator rights from day one. You took the cases that no one else would. Do you remember that tiger who was charged with assault when all he did was bump into a rabbit on the subway? The wolf arrested for a robbery because he was sitting at a bus-stop nearby? The teenage panther accused of harassment for having the gall to stand up for himself when his classmates vandalized his locker?" With each example, Hubert tapped his finger on the table with force.

"I'm a lawyer, it's my job to do that. Remember, not all of my clients were innocent," Todd rebutted.

"Whether they were innocent or not isn't important. What is important is that you stood up for them when no one else would."

"You make it sound like I singlehandedly took down the anti-predator hysteria with my brilliant legal defense. Last I checked, it was Officers Hopps and Wilde taking down Mayor Bellwether that ended that whole mess," Todd finished his coffee and rose from his seat. "You want another?"

"Hopps and Wilde weren't there keeping innocent preds out of prison. They weren't writing to the paper denouncing the anti-predator discrimination."

"You're right, they were out actually solving the problem."

"What they did was important-"

"Vital even." Todd interjected.

"I'm not disputing that, but you were right there combatting it on the ground. Why are you fighting this?" With the last sentence, Hubert swung his arm to emphasize his point, managing to knock his coffee mug over and spill its contents across the table. "Ah, shoot. Sorry about that."

"Don't worry about it." Todd laughed and grabbed a towel. As he wiped down the table, he paused for a moment. In a quieter, more serious tone he asked "do you really think I have a shot?"

"Absolutely. I mean, I'm no analyst but there's gotta be plenty of animals sick of Turnbull and his thinly-veiled anti-predator fearmongering," Hubert patted Todd on the back. "Besides, you'd have the best record of anybody running."

Todd pondered this for a moment. He had never considered running for any public office, let alone mayor. But with Mayors Lionheart and Bellwether in prison the city bureaucracy was in chaos. Emergency elections had been called, and a paper pusher from city hall - a hippo named John Nileworthy - had been made interim mayor to keep the seat warm, though he had started running to hold on to the seat. In the turmoil, plenty of animals were throwing their hats in the ring, many with barely any qualifications at all. Hubert was right that if he entered the race he'd immediately have an experience advantage over everyone except for the only two real candidates: Turnbull and Nileworthy.

But then again, Turnbull was a celebrity and campaigns cost money. A lot of money. It would be a serious gamble, but if he didn't run he'd be handing the election to a charismatic bigot or a milquetoast bureaucrat. This was his chance to change Zootopia for the better; to fight discrimination with more authority than ever before; to show the world just what a fox could do. "I'm in."

* * *

A few days and several forms later, Todd W. Renard was officially a candidate for mayor of Zootopia. As he and Hubert worked on flier designs, and email notification pinged on Todd's phone:

"TO: twrenard

FROM: interview

SUBJECT: Comment on candidacy

Mr. Renard,

Congratulations on entering the race for mayor of Zootopia. ZNN will be running a short segment on your candidacy, would you care to comment?

Yours,

The ZNN news team"

Todd struggled for words for a moment. "Hubert, look at this," Todd shoved his phone in the pig's direction. Hubert scanned the message several times, his eyes darting around the screen and his face shifting between excitement, amazement, and annoyance.

"This is great…" Hubert sounded less than completely thrilled.

"But you wished that the Zootopia Times had picked up the story first?" Todd smirked.

"I mean, I only told my editor that my good friend - the predator-rights activist and lawyer whose op-eds we published during the Bellwether fiasco - was running for mayor immediately after you agreed to it," Hubert folded his arms and slumped down in his chair, looking like a pouting child.

"Yeah, well, you snooze you lose, Times," Todd took his phone back, and read over the email again. "Still, ZNN. Wow."

"I told you, you're a serious candidate for this. You're not like that nutbag squirrel, Vermin Supreme," Hubert sat up.

"Well, what should I say?" Todd rubbed under his muzzle. "Ooh! What about 'I fought for predator rights as a lawyer, now I want to do so as mayor?'"

"No, you sound too pred-biased and power-hungry," Hubert scratched the tuft of straw-blond hair atop his head. "Oh, what about 'We need one Zootopia, undivided'?"

"No…" Todd paced back and forth for a bit, then stopped. He pivoted and pointed at Hubert "'Predator rights are animal rights, and as mayor I will fight for animal rights in all forms'."

"Send it in," Hubert said, offering a quickly fulfilled high-five. Todd typed out the message and clicked send, uncontrollably smiling with the excitement of it all.

* * *

"I can't do this. I cannot do this. What was I thinking? I don't know the first thing about campaigning. Why did I let you talk me into this?" Todd quivered outside the door of the next apartment over, a pamphlet fresh off the (home) printer clutched tight to his chest. His ears lay flat against his head, nearly reaching his neck. He clawed at his olive tie. "Is it hot in here/ I'm having trouble breathing. Why am I wearing a tie? It's choking me and-"

Hubert laid his hand on Todd's shoulder. "Stop. You'll do fine. Be confident and honest, you know what you're talking about. Now take a deep breath and go."

"No really, Hubert. I can't do this. I can't-" the door opened. A zebra stood before them in her bathrobe, her arms crossed.

"Can I help you?" She said, tapping her hoof.

"Oh, we didn't mean to disturb you, we just-" Todd started.

"Well, you did. We're not interested in buying anything," the zebra went to close the door.

"Wait, we're not selling anything," Todd forced out before the door shut. The zebra paused. "I'm running for mayor of Zootopia. I've got this flier here-" he offered the slightly crumpled half-sheet of paper to the zebra.

She snatched it out of his hand. "Great, I'll look at it," she didn't sound particularly enthusiastic as she slammed the door.

"Great well thank you ma'am have a nice day," Todd squeezed in as the door shut in his face. He looked down at his paws. "That could have gone better. I think she gave me a paper cut."

"Maybe we should take a break and try again tomorrow?" Hubert said, stunned by the trainwreck he witnessed.


	2. Chapter 2

The ZNN logo flashed across the screen. Peter Moosebridge sat beside his snow leopard co-anchor. "Welcome back to ZNN," he began. "Another candidate has entered the race for mayor of Zootopia. Predator rights activist and lawyer Todd Renard has officially registered his campaign," a photo of Todd speaking on the steps of a courthouse floated by the moose's head. "Renard rose to prominence after several high-profile defenses of predators during the Bellwether administration. When asked to comment on his candidacy, Renard responded: 'predator rights are animal rights, and as mayor I will fight for animal rights in all forms.'"

The camera switched to Moosebridge's co-anchor. Todd's image was replaced with that of a hippo. "In further election news, Interim Mayor Nileworthy-"

The coyote closed the news app on her phone. She opened her contacts and hit a name labeled "City Hall Guy". After just one ring, the other animal picked up. "Connor," the coyote barked, "I need to get in touch with a candidate for mayor: Todd Renard."

"You got it, Ms. Latrans," the wolf on the other side responded. A keyboard clicked quietly for a moment before he continued. "Here we go. His address is…"

The coyote pulled a notepad from her purse, jotted down the place, chugged what remained of her latte, hopped in her car, and sped off.

* * *

Nick Wilde sat in his normal seat in the ZPD bullpen before the morning briefing. A cup of coffee in a paper cup sat by his head, which lay buried in the sleeves of his crossed arms. His back rose and fell to the rhythm of sleep. The briefing wasn't for another hour, so the room was still fairly quiet. That is until Judy hopped up beside him on the chair, making him wake with a start, nearly knocking over his coffee. Judy stifled a laugh. "You're never here this early," she smiled. "Though from the looks of it, you weren't."

"Good morning to you too, Carrots," Nick quickly affected his characteristic smirk and took a sip from the paper cup.

"I see what you're trying to do there, but there's no way to play that off smooth," Judy put her hand on her hip.

Nick rolled his eyes. "I don't get how you do this whole 'getting up before dawn' thing."

"I grew up on a farm. It's what we do," Judy pulled out her phone. "Hey, did you see the news this morning? A fox is running for mayor."

Nick's ears perked up, but his face stayed a sly smile. "Good for him," Nick replied as if Judy had just told him that one of her little brothers had won a little league game.

"There you go again, trying to be all cool, but your ears give you away," Judy flicked his ears lightly. Nick reflexively reached to cover them, his smile replace with annoyance. "Just read the story, it's short."

"If it'll get you off my back…" Nick took her phone before she offered it and started scrolling.

* * *

The rust-colored bull stood in front of the massive television in his opulent penthouse apartment. The morning light struggled against the drawn curtains, the room more illumined by the screen than the sun. The bull tapped his fingers gently on the side of the saucer his coffee cup rested on, watching the larger-than-life image of Peter Moosebridge deliver the news of another hopeless mammal attempting to stand in his path to the mayor's office. And a _fox_ no less! Where this guy thought he'd find a dozen people willing to trust a fox enough to check the box by his name on election day, the bull didn't know. Sure there was that new fox police officer, but long-held fears don't go away overnight, especially when they were so aggravated just a month-and-a-half ago. A cop was one thing - most animals would rarely if ever interact with him - but the _mayor?_ His face would be everywhere. He'd be on the news, at the grand openings of buildings, on pamphlets and brochures. Who would want a fox as the face of their city?

A knock came from the open door behind the bull. "Mr. Turnbull, sir, your advisors are here," the deer butler said with a small bow.

"Tell them I'll be right out," Turnbull's deep voice resonated throughout the room, booming even at normal volumes. He set down his coffee, adjusted his burgundy tie, and stepped out to continue his stampede to city hall.


	3. Chapter 3

The coyote pulled up in front of the apartment building in Savannah Central. Using her rearview mirror, she adjusted her dull wine blazer and ensured her black-and-tan fur was still brushed and presentable. When satisfied, she stepped out of her car and strode up to the front door of the complex. The coyote rang the bell beside the fading "T. Renard" label. A moment later a voice answered "Hello, who is this?"

"Mr. Renard, my name is Dakota Latrans, Zootopia's top political operative. I'd like to work for your campaign. Would you let me in so we can talk face-to-face?"

There was a short pause as another voice said something from the background that she couldn't quite make out. The first voice answered "Sure, come on up." The lock on the door clicked and Dakota let herself in.

A few flights of stairs brought Dakota to apartment 505. The surrounding hallway was coated with dust and not particularly well lit. She hesitated for a moment before knocking. Is this where this guy really lived? What kind of campaign was she getting herself into? She took a deep breath. No, anyone can be anything. If that bunny had done anything, she had proven that there was at least a glimmer of truth in Zootopia's motto. Clearly this guy had something to offer if ZNN announced his candidacy on air. He'd surely talked with consultants and certainly had a plan to tackle the campaign. With his credentials, he might have even been asked to run by someone. Dakota couldn't hesitate. She needed to get in now before all the top positions were snapped up. She put on a professional smile, removed her resumé from her bag, and knocked on the door.

A yellow-gray fox answered the door in a faded green t-shirt and a pair of jeans. The shoebox of an apartment behind him was empty of people aside from a pig in a purple sweatshirt typing on a laptop. Papers lay scattered around the otherwise tidy apartment. A tingle of worry tightened her chest, but Dakota tried her best not to show it. She extended her paw. "You must be Mr. Renard. It's an honor to meet you."

"You can call me Todd. A pleasure to meet you Ms. Latrans," Todd shook her paw with a smile. "Come in."

"Thank you," Dakota stepped inside and offered her paw to the pig on the couch. "I don't believe we've met."

The pig looked up from his laptop and quickly pushed himself off the couch. He shook her paw. "Hubert Hamilton, and you are?"

Dakota felt a pang of disappointment that he didn't recognize her. Had she fallen so far already? "Dakota Latrans. I'm assuming you're the campaign manager."

"Campaign manager?" Hubert looked confused and slightly concerned. He turned to Todd, who shrugged his shoulders with a similar expression. Dakota's ears twitched as they tried to decide between drooping with worry and perking with excitement. They don't have a campaign manager? Was this a serious campaign? Did he enter on a whim? Do they have any idea what they're doing? But then again, if they didn't have a campaign manager yet, she could snap up the juiciest position in a race.

"I'm sorry, I misspoke. I meant to say 'I'm assuming you're _looking for_ a campaign manager'. I'd like to offer my services, and for a very reasonable price," Dakota turned and handed Todd her resumé. She wasn't going to let this opportunity slip through her paws.

"I...uh…" Todd looked at Dakota, then the resumé, then to Hubert, then back to Dakota. "One moment, please." He grabbed Hubert and stepped to the other side of the apartment. With their backs turned, the two whispered just quietly enough for Dakota to only pick up isolated words. For a minute or two she just stood there, keeping a professional smile and posture as her heart pounded in her chest. Occasionally one or the other would turn to look at her or gesture to something on the resumé before resuming their whispering. Eventually they turned to face her again.

Todd affected a professional smile of his own. "Ms. Latrans, we would be more than happy to have you manage my campaign."

"Thank you Mr. Ren- thank you, Todd," she shook his paw firmly. "We can work out the nitty-gritty later. First, I want to see what I'm working with."

"What you're working with?" Todd asked.

"Signs, flyers, stickers, whatever. What do you have with your name on it?" Dakota looked around the apartment for merchandise.

"Well, we've got these," Hubert picked up a half-sheet of printer paper with some text and Todd's face on it. Dakota took it and turned the sheet over a couple times in disbelief. Just looking at it, any animal could tell it was made in an hour or two in Micerosoft Word. After a moment, Hubert spoke up hesitantly. "Well?"

"It's okay," Dakota set the flyer on an end table. "If you're running for senior class president of your high school, that is. If you want to be taken seriously as a candidate you need something glossy, something professional," Dakota took out her phone. As she poked and swiped at the screen, she glanced up at Todd. "How many of these do you have?"

"About a hundred or so," Todd gestured to a pile of papers by the door.

"We'll need more than that," Dakota held her phone up to her ear. "Humphrey! How's my favorite camel doing? It's Dakota. Listen, I'm working on a campaign for mayor and I need your help… Todd Renard… Yes I think he's got a chance...I'm _very_ qualified, Humphrey. Okay, focus. I need you to make some designs for me: flyers, signs, et cetera. I'll send you a picture of what we have now for inspiration. Thanks, bye." She snapped a picture of the flyer before returning her phone to her pocket. She turned to Todd. "Okay, we should have some real flyers in a few days. Next thing we need is to get you in front of crowds. We didn't register in time to make the debate next week, but that doesn't mean we can't get you out talking to animals. You must be involved with some animal-rights groups; are there any events or meetings coming up?"

Todd felt like he needed to catch his breath just listening to the coyote. "Uh, yeah. There's a dinner in a week and a half for this predator-rights group I've worked with before: the Committee for the Life and Welfare of Predators. They're one of the larger predator-rights organizations."

"Perfect, I want you to call them right away," Dakota retrieved her notepad from her purse and jotted something down. "Do you think they'll endorse you?"

"I, um, I mean maybe? I don't really have any experience to work with there."

"Yeah, well you will. We'll be wanting to get endorsements from all sorts of animal-rights groups - pred and prey - along with prominent members of the community: business owners, activists, Nick Wilde or Judy Hopps could be good," Dakota paced back and forth as she rattled off examples, writing in her notepad the whole time. "You'll also have to get used to begging friends, family, and strangers for money. It sucks, but it sucks less than losing because you were outspent."

"We're running against Turnbull. He's probably already spent more than we'll ever get," Hubert reminded her.

"Point taken. You still need money to run a campaign," Dakota stopped in front of Todd. "Did you get all that?" He nodded slowly, trying to hide hide the nervousness and lingering confusion in his eyes. "Don't worry, sweetheart. We got this. You'll do fine," Dakota patted him on the cheek. "Now, let's get to making calls."


	4. Chapter Four

“Hello, and welcome to the first debate between the candidates for mayor of Zootopia; only on WZTP. My name is Jane Hirsch, and I will be moderating today,” the doe sat behind a desk facing a large stage set with five podiums. She wore a fairly conservative blazer with a pearl necklace and a pair of rimless glasses. “Joining us tonight are the top five candidates according to independent polls conducted by Gallop. Our first candidate, polling fifth, is Arthur Bernhard.”

From the right side of the stage, the great grizzly bear made his way to the closet podium on the right edge of the stage. There he adjusted his thick glasses and fidgeted with some papers. He gave a meek wave to some of the sparse claps that accompanied his name.

“Our next candidate is sister to former mayor Leodore Lionheart and local university professor, Ariel Lionheart,” Jane announced. Ariel strode almost defiantly to the farthest left podium. Despite being a foot-and-a-half shorter than Bernhard and on the other side of the stage from him, she seemed to dwarf the timid bear via sheer confidence alone. Mixed in with applause were a few boos from detractors who felt she was running on her name alone.

“Next we have journalist and author Carlos Lupez,” Jane had scarcely finished his name before the wolf stormed across the stage, fury barely concealed in his eyes. He took the podium beside Bernhard, receiving a respectable amount of applause and a few cheers.

“Our second place candidate is Interim Mayor John Nileworthy,” the hippo stepped onstage; waved politely to the crowd; and received in return widespread, but polite applause. He took the podium beside Ariel.

“And finally, our frontrunner and CEO of Turnbull Enterprises: Andrew Turnbull,” the crowd erupted into a mix of cheers and jeers. The rust-colored bull gave a smug smile as he strode to the central podium, but it was impossible to tell whether it was because of his supporters, his detractors, or simply from the sheer joy he got from being himself. After a moment, Jane gestured at the audience. “Please, settle down. Without further ado, let us commence the debate. We’ll begin with opening remarks. Mr. Bernhard, you may begin.”

The bear’s eyes widened. He loosened his collar nervously before speaking. “T-thank you, Jane. M-my campaign is based on the idea that the Mammal Inclusion Initiative is discriminatory and should be abolished.” Though this elicited a few cheers from a few of those attending, they were nearly drowned out in a sea of murmuring and a few boos. The bear looked for a moment as if he would continue his statement, but he instead shrunk back from the microphone. After an expectant pause, Jane turned to Ariel.

“Mrs. Lionheart--” she began.

“ _Dr._ Lionheart,” Ariel’s voice betrayed a lifetime of making this correction.

“My apologies. Dr. Lionheart, your opening statement?”

The lioness adjusted her jacket. “My fellow Zootopians, the Mammal Inclusion Initiative is vital, and has helped many mammals. However, that is not what I wish to discuss today. In the chaos of Bellwether’s terror, many innocent predators lost their homes and livelihoods,” she spoke with all the skill and power that her brother had. “I, myself, nearly lost my position at Zootopia University after former mayor Lionheart was arrested for attempting to find a solution to Bellwether’s scheme. I am calling for reparations for the predators who lost everything. I am calling for a restoration of predators to their previous status after Bellwether’s terror. I am calling for justice.” A tangled mix of cheers and boos made gauging the reaction of the crowd near impossible.

“Thank you, Dr. Lionheart,” Jane calmed the crowd. “Mr. Lupez, your remarks.”

The wolf took a deep breath before speaking.“I _was_ going to speak on environmentalism and the need to upgrade the wall between Tundratown and Sahara Square, but now I simply want to implore you to vote for _anyone_ but Andrew Turnbull.” The crowd exploded. Turnbull supporters shouted over detractors who shouted over supporters. Carlos tried his best to continue over the crowd. “He is dangerous. He preaches anti-predatorism in the guise of security. What he wants is what Bellwether wanted.”

“Thank you, Mr. Lupez,” Jane nearly shouted into her microphone to be heard over the crowd, her tone conveying a message to the candidates to avoid riling up the audience intentionally. “Please settle down,” she urged the crowd with surprising effectiveness. “Mayor Nileworthy?”

“Thank you, Jane. The work of my predecessor Leodore Lionheart was indeed important. The Mammal Inclusion Initiative has already proven its worth through the work of Officer Judy Hopps, without whom former mayor Bellwether would have continued in her crimes. The MMI must be continued.” The audience clapped.

“Thank you, Mayor Nileworthy,” Jane hesitated for a moment before continuing. “Mr. Turnbull?”

The air buzzed with expectant energy as Turnbull deliberately paused before speaking. “This city is weak,” the great bull began. “What this city needs is a mayor willing to take the steps necessary to make the city safe for everyone. I would be that mayor. A safe city is a prosperous city. A safe city is a happy city. A safe city is the only city where anyone can be anything.” The crowd resumed its now characteristic jumble of noise.

“Thank you, let us begin the questions. Mr. Turnbull, the first question is for you,”Jane adjusted some papers in front of her, waiting a moment for the audience to calm. “The accusation has been made by many, including those on stage with you now, that you are anti-predator. Would you care to respond to these allegations?”

“These accusations are ridiculous. I am not anti-predator in the slightest. I want a Zootopia safe for everyone, including predators. My opponents say I’m anti-predator because I acknowledge that, while the biological component of the incident of a few months ago was disproven, it remains a concern that many dangerous animals have natural weapons. Claws and fangs are deadly. I am not calling for the declawing or defanging of all predators, simply dangerous criminals. This is no different than confiscating the knife of a rabbit convicted of assault. The fact that none of my opponents, especially the hippo currently running the city, have even _considered_ anything like this shows their weakness. They are willing to allow innocent mammals continue to suffer from dangerous animals who haven’t been disarmed.” Applause underscored by murmuring spread through the crowd.

After a moment, Jane spoke again. “Thank you, Mr. Turnbull. Mayor Nileworthy, would you like to respond to the statement that your administration is weak on crime?”

“Well, ‘my administration’ has only lasted a few months. To accuse it of anything is fairly ridiculous as there hasn’t been any major deviation from the policies of my predecessors. Further, we are not weak on crime. The ZPD is quite effective, and has only become more effective due to the Mammal Inclusion Initiative.” The hippo’s flustered voice sounded hollow following Turnbull’s deep boom.

“Thank you, Mayor Nileworthy. Dr. Lionheart, the next question is for you…”

 

* * *

 

The rest of the debate continued in the same vein. Turnbull clearly stole the show. Every question and every answer seemed to be about him or something he said. Nileworthy only managed to stay marginally relevant because he was the target of the vast majority of Turnbull’s attacks on the current system. The other candidates failed to stand out at all.

The next day, Bernhard dropped out of the race.


	5. Chapter Five

"Okay, let's try this again," Dakota stood opposite Todd in his apartment. Todd held a clipboard and a glossy new flyer from the thousand-count box sitting beside the door. On it, his face beamed beside the words 'Fighting for Animal Rights' along with a few bullet points of his main issues and a reference to the campaign website. The fox who smiled on the leaflet was currently attempting to hide frustration and exhaustion as Dakota tried to teach him how to doorbell.

Todd affected the most genuine-seeming smile he could. "Hello Dakota, my name is Todd Renard and-"

"How do you know my name?" Dakota was acting out various scenarios where things could go poorly.

"When you register to vote, candidates have access to data such as your name and address. My name is Todd Renard and I'm running for mayor of Zootopia. I want to see Zootopia become a city where anyone can truly become anything," after several run-throughs, Todd was finally starting to feel comfortable with the scenarios. "Is this something that interests you?"

"Sure, of course, but why should I vote for _you_? Turnbull is saying the same thing about his platform," Dakota crossed her arms.

"Yes, of course. I have extensive experience defending animal rights in court, most notably during the Bellwether incident. Further, while Turnbull claims his platform will create a Zootopia for all animals, his proposals disproportionately hurt predators," Todd handed Dakota the pamphlet. "I'm also interested in hearing what my fellow Zootopians want to see from their city. Are there any issues that are particularly important to you?"

"Not that I can think of," Dakota looked over the flyer.

"Great, well can I count on your support on election day?" Todd extended a paw.

"I'll definitely consider it," Dakota shook it.

"Fantastic. Thank you and have a great rest of your day," Todd let out a deep breath as Dakota dropped character. "That would have been a 'support', right? How was that?"

"You should have handed me the flyer when you said your name, but otherwise you did fine. You dealt with that initial hostility well. You're right, you'd put that down as 'support'. I think you're about ready to get started for real," Dakota returned the flyer. "We'll start you off easy. I've printed out a list of likely voters in your apartment building. You should be able to finish it by the end of the day."

As Dakota handed Todd the bundle of papers covered with his neighbors' names, Hubert let himself into the apartment. Now it was the pig's turn to get trained. Todd almost felt bad for Hubert after going through Dakota's Doorbelling Day Course. Todd said a quick goodbye to the both of them as he grabbed a stack of handouts and stepped out.

* * *

Todd stood in front of the door to another apartment in his building. His heart raced as he clutched a flyer in one hand and his clipboard in the other. He mentally thanked Dakota for making him ditch the tie he'd worn out before. She said it would make him look too stuffy, that a casual yet nice button-down shirt and pants would sell better to voters. Todd was just happy to not have anything remotely noose-like around his neck.

Nevertheless, his breath felt shallow. Practicing with Dakota in the comfort of his own apartment was one thing, but bothering a stranger at home? That was something else entirely. Anything could happen. The couple of scenarios that Dakota had trained him in couldn't possibly cover everything that could go wrong. He could just leave a flyer at the door and walk away, mark them down as not home and be done with it. That would be the easiest thing to do, and he would still get his name out there to an extent, and-

Todd forced himself to take a deep breath. No, he could do this. It would be fine. He reached for the door, paw clenched into a fist. He knocked.

Nothing happened.

A part of him breathed a sigh of relief, yet another part was a bit annoyed. After a moment, he knocked again; again without response. Todd slid a handout between the door frame and the knob; marked the box labeled "not home" next to the name on his clipboard; and moved to the next apartment listed, slightly less tense and with slightly more real expectations.

* * *

The door opened. A donkey the clipboard identified as Murad Himar stood half-dressed, arms crossed and his slippered foot tapping.

"Hello, Murad, my name is-" Todd began

"I'm not interested in whatever it is you're selling, fox," the last word sounded like a slur coming out of the donkey's mouth.

"Well I'm not actually selling anything, sir," Todd said, holding a leaflet toward Murad. "I'm running for mayor. My name is Todd Renard."

Murad rolled his eyes. "A fox running for mayor? Who do you think you're fooling?"

Todd's ear twitched as he kept a professional smile plastered to his face. "Fooling, sir? I'm afraid I don't understand."

"Don't you try your sly double-talk with me, fox."

"Sir, if you don't think I'm trustworthy, I can tell you that I have extensive experience defending animal rights in-"

Murad produced a canister of fox repellent from beside the door. "You have until the count of five to be gone."

"But sir-"

"One,"

"Sir, if I could just-"

"Two,"

"Fine. I'm gone," Todd turned his back. The door slammed behind him. For a moment he was frozen, his mind clouded by emotions: anger at the interaction, fear for what it meant for the campaign to come, but most importantly the same defiance that allowed him to keep his idealism in a world determined to quash it. He looked down at the clipboard, marked Murad as "highly unlikely support", and moved on.

* * *

"Todd, what are you doing here?" The elderly vixen squinted through thick lenses.

"Good afternoon, Mrs. Crevan. How are you today?" Todd extended a paw to her.

"Oh, strangers shake hands," Mrs. Crevan pulled Todd into a surprisingly tight hug given her small, frail frame. Years ago, Mrs. Crevan had been one of Todd's high school teachers and the only fox teacher he'd ever had. They'd kept in touch over the years, and she had convinced her landlord to rent an apartment out to him in the same building.

Todd laughed. "It's good to see you again. I'm here because I'm running for mayor actually," he peeled a flyer from the stack and handed it to her, stirring up memories of handing in essays in history class.

The old woman pretended to look over the page even though Todd knew she couldn't read a thing anymore with a magnifier. After a pause she said in a small voice "You're running for mayor?"

"Yes, ma'am," Todd beamed. "I want to make this city better for everyone."

"I know you will. You've always been a big-hearted child," Mrs. Crevan's voice choked up a bit. "A fox running for mayor. I never thought I'd live to see the day."

"Yes, ma'am," Todd could feel himself choking up too. "Can I count on your support?"

"What kind of stupid question is that? Of course you can," Mrs. Crevan pulled him into another, longer hug. While holding him, she whispered "Thank you."

"No, thank you, Mrs. Crevan," Todd was released. "For everything. If it weren't for you, I don't know where I'd be,"

"Don't give me so much credit. You were never going to let anyone stop you. Now you have a good day," the vixen smiled. "And good luck. Lord knows you'll need it."

"Thank you, and have a great day," Todd said as she closed the door. As soon as she was gone, he made his way to the stairwell, sat down, and cried.


	6. Chapter Six

"Take a deep breath, you're going to do fine," Dakota futzed with Todd's suit; adjusting his tie, straightening the pin on his jacket, fixing his collar, and so on. Tonight was the night of the Committee for the Life and Welfare of Predators dinner, and they were having some of the leading predators running for mayor speak. At the end of the night, they'd be deciding who to endorse in the race. CLaW was one of the largest predator rights groups in the city, and their endorsement carried significant weight among activists.

"Dakota, I'm fine," Todd attempted to break away from the coyote. Dakota did not allow this.

"Exactly, you're going to do fine and-"

"No Dakota. I'm fine," the interruption stopped Dakota for a moment. Todd took the opportunity to escape her grasp. "I'm a lawyer, I talk in front of crowds for a living. It's the bugging strangers thing I don't like as much."

"Isn't that a part of your job, too?" Hubert looked odd in a suit. He clearly missed his normal purple sweatshirt from the way he constantly fiddled with his jacket.

"I said I don't like it, not that I can't do it."

"Whatever, just take your speech," Dakota held out a folded sheet of paper.

At the same moment, a young lynx volunteer broke into the group. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but you're on as soon as Dr. Lionheart is done, Mr. Renard."

Todd started to make his way to the stage. Dakota waved the piece of paper in her paw and hissed "Your speech!"

The fox pulled a sheet of his own from his jacket pocket. "Hubert and I edited it a bit. We felt like your version lacked punch."

"Lacked punch? What are you-" Dakota was cut off by the host, an elderly tiger, announcing Todd as the next speaker. As he ascended the couple of stairs to the stage, Dakota whisper-screamed "I swear to God if you lose this campaign for me right now…"

Todd couldn't hear her, the applause drowned Dakota out. He took the podium, laid his speech out before him, and waited a moment for the applause to die down. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Dakota pull out her phone. Her speech or not, they needed to get something up on the campaign's website.

As the crowd quieted, Todd began to speak. "My friends, it is an honor and a joy to be here with you today. I have had the great pleasure of working with CLaW many times in the past, particularly during the events of Bellwether's reign of terror. No one in this room escaped those events unscathed. We lost our jobs, our homes, and for some of us our loved ones.

"But Bellwether wasn't the cause. She saw the biases already bubbling below the surface and exploited them. Turnbull is doing the same thing, calling for what amounts to the mutilation of predators and calling it justice. Treating these symptoms is important; we must send the Bellwethers to prison and keep the Turnbulls out of office.

"But we cannot treat the symptoms alone. This problem is not solved by City Hall sending each of us a check. This problem is not solved by continuing on the path we are on now. This problem is solved by striking at its roots with more robust programs that do more than encourage tokenism.

"The Mammal Inclusion Initiative creates possibility without opportunity. What good does opening a door do if there is no path to get there? One out of every three foxes doesn't finish high school, let alone go to college. I was one of the lucky ones, but I had to fight every step of the way to get where I am today. I grew up in poverty, my teachers gave me a fraction of the attention they gave other students, at least until there was even a slight suspicion that cheating had occurred. This is not an experience unique to myself. Ask any fox you know. They can tell you the same thing," in the audience, Todd spied several of the scattered foxes in attendance nod or cast their eyes downward.

"All species have their struggles. By no means do foxes have a monopoly on hardship. I want to alleviate the hardships of all species. Expanding the Mammal Inclusion Initiative to create expanded educational and vocational opportunities for underrepresented species is the first step to doing this; creating scholarships for underrepresented groups in higher education, developing police academy programs created with smaller mammals in mind, mandating sensitivity training for all public employees, and more.

"Zootopia can be the city where anyone can be anything, but without creating these opportunities it will continue to be so in name only. Otherwise we will continue in this rut of stereotyping and veiled hate that animals like Turnbull thrive in. Vote for me, Todd Renard, for mayor and I will fight to create these opportunities just as I've been fighting for animal rights my whole life. Thank you."

The audience applauded, some rising to their feet and even cheering. Todd gave a slight gesture somewhere between an appreciative nod and a shallow bow. As the host returned to the stage, Todd was gently ushered off. He rejoined Dakota and Hubert as the elderly tiger thanked him and offered some remarks of his own.

"Pretty good, right?" Todd leaned in and whispered to Dakota as they took a seat at their table.

Dakota grumbled for a moment. "It was good," she turned to face him, and gave him a very serious look. "But next time you pull a stunt like that I'm gone."

"Understood."

"...and with that said, it is time to get to the business of this event," the host said. "All full members should have been given a ballot with the names of our speakers tonight. We will be giving our endorsement to one of these candidates tonight. Mark who you believe we should endorse, then place your vote in the ballot box in front of the stage."

* * *

Half an hour later, the votes were in and counted. Todd's heart could not rest the whole time. He looked to Lionheart two tables over occasionally. She kept her composure well, but the way she subtly fidgeted with her paws belied her own nervousness. Lupez, who had spoken before Lionheart and was seated on the other side of the room, was barely able to sit still. He rose frequently to get some water or use the restroom during the wait.

After the longest half-hour of his life, Todd watched as the host took the stage again. Todd's ears involuntarily laid flat against his head. The din of the crowd quieted instantly. "Ladies and gentlemammals, we have a winner. With fourteen votes, our third place candidate is Carlos Lupez." The wolf's mouth hung agape. "Of the remaining ballots, our winner by a margin of 38 votes to 28 is Todd Renard."

The world seemed to freeze for a moment. Todd barely registered the applause, and missed every word of what the host said afterward. He looked around stunned. His eyes made contact with Lionheart's. She was glaring with such intensity that Todd was afraid that perhaps looks really _could_ kill. One way or the other, Lionheart was trying to find out.

He snapped back to reality when Dakota patted him on the back. "One down, more to go."

* * *

A few days later, Todd was scrolling through the comments left on the speech footage Dakota put up. The vast majority, of course, were pointless: promotions for other channels, memes that had been funny twice then summarily beaten to death, and the occasional barely legible spam. The "worthwhile" comments were mostly supportive posts from predators and hate from Turnbull supporters. Pointless arguments with no hope of resolution went nowhere for far too long.

Todd was about to get off the computer when a message from Dakota popped up. Even in this rare, brief respite she continued to pester him. The message contained just a link to ZNN. Clicking it opened a report on the newest round of polling that had just come out. Turnbull was still leading, followed by Nileworthy. No surprise there. Lupez barely held onto third, only a point ahead of the next candidate: Todd Renard-

Todd Renard. He was polling fourth. Another message popped up from Dakota. "We're getting you out there, and the endorsements are paying off massively. We need the big one: we need Wilde."


	7. Chapter Seven

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woops, completely forgot to post this chapter here. Sorry for the dozen of you who follow this fic here.

Todd sat at a table by the window of Grillon, a decently nice bistro aimed at predators in the heart of downtown Zootopia, painfully aware that he was the only fox in the building. Foxes who could afford the area were few and far between. Dakota had recommended the place, but Todd doubted she'd ever paid attention to the lack of vulpine clientele. Todd had already turned a few heads just sitting by himself. When he was joined by another fox, there would be no escaping notice.

Todd heard the door open, and turned to see Nick Wilde stroll in, hands in his pockets. Nick moved his sunglasses to the top of his head as he examined the restaurant, his cool smile betrayed by surprise in his eyes. He quickly spotted Todd and made his way to the table.

"Swanky place," Nick smirked.

"Yeah," Todd rose and shook Nick's paw. He continued somewhat hushed. "I can feel everyone staring at us."

"You get used to that as a fox in uniform," Nick shrugged as they took their seats.

"You shouldn't need to get used to it, though," Todd forced himself to keep his eyes off the other patrons. "That's why I'm running."

"The legislative process is well known for its ability to change hearts and minds," Nick quipped as he looked over the menu.

"Sure, it wouldn't happen immediately, but the more we integrate now, the sooner we _will_ change hearts and minds," Todd said. Nick's smirk fell a bit, then became slight annoyance as he looked at the menu. "Is something wrong?"

"This is all fish and bugs," Nick said. "I'm a vegetarian."

"You are?" Todd's ears fell as his heart sank. "On no, you should have told us. I could have picked somewhere with better options for you and-"

"Breathe, Suits," Nick held up the menu and pointed to the salad section. "I'll just get one of these things."

"I'm sorry Officer Wilde, I-"

"Call me Nick," he leaned back in his seat. "I'm still not one hundred percent used to the whole 'officer' thing, myself."

"I'm sorry Nick, I just wanted to take you somewhere nice for lunch."

"Well, the decor is nice, but I'm pretty sure the waiter just took the order of that pig over there, and he came in after I did," Nick gestured to the pig's table. "What's a pig doing here anyway?"

Todd tried to flag down a server. After waving for a bit, a well groomed cheetah finally arrived at the table. "May I help you?"

"Yes, my friend and I have been here a while and we would like to order," Todd smiled with pointed politeness. The waiter subtly but not unnoticeably sighed as he flipped open his order notepad. Todd turned to Nick. "What would you like?"

"Carrot salad, please," Nick matched Todd's energy, sharpening the last word.

"And I'll take the salmon sandwich, thank you," Todd said. As the waiter walked away, Todd turned to Nick. "Carrot salad?"

"Hopps turned me onto them," Nick shrugged.

"Cool…" Todd trailed off. For about a minute, neither said anything.

"So I'm fairly certain you didn't invite me here to learn about my dietary preferences," Nick broke the silence. "I've seen enough movies to know that lunches with politicians are never just lunch."

Todd half-chuckled. "You're right about that. I wanted to ask if you'll endorse me in the race. It'd just have to be a quick public statement. I stand for-"

"I'm gonna stop you there," Nick said. "Bogo has 'encouraged' the ZPD to stay out of City Hall affairs after what happened last time."

"But-"

"Don't get me wrong. I'll be voting for you. I like your platform, and your giant ears remind me of a friend of mine," Todd's hands instinctively started moving to cover his ears, but he stopped himself. Nick's voice took a more serious note. "But I can't endorse you."

"Nick, your endorsement could be the game changer that keeps Turnbull out of office," Todd put his paw on Nick's arm. Nick shrugged him off.

"Look, I just can't, okay?" Nick's voice made it clear that this was the end of the discussion. At that moment, their food arrived. Nick's tone turned on a dime. "But hey, let's enjoy our lunch anyway."

* * *

The pig sat at a table with a good view of Renard and Wilde. He stood out like a sore thumb and he knew it. The server took his order shortly after he was seated: just a vegetable soup. He wasn't really hungry, but he had to blend in as much as possible for his mission.

For a moment, he thought he was caught. Wilde gestured toward him, and Renard looked over briefly. He considered leaving right then, but that would only confirm any suspicions they might have. He had to stick it out. He was just a normal pig who just happened to come to a predator restaurant for lunch by himself and…

He decided to stop that train of thought before he convinced himself to leave. All he allowed in his mind was observing the pair of foxes. He couldn't hear what they were saying, but he could read their body language. Though the two got off to a rocky start, after their food arrived they seemed to hit it off. His boss needed to move against this now. The pig pulled out his phone and sent a text. "To Turnbull: Wilde may endorse, get Hopps."

* * *

A limo had picked up Judy at her apartment and whisked her to one of the nicest restaurants in town for probably the strangest meeting she had ever been invited to. Andrew Turnbull had invited her to dinner out of the blue without saying why. Judy, though skeptical of the invitation and the bull who set it, had accepted out of a mix of politeness and curiosity. She wore the nicest dress she owned - a simple blue garment that stopped just short of hitting the floor - yet when she arrived at the restaurant she immediately felt underdressed. The men wore impeccably tailored suits, the women couture gowns nicer than Judy had seen even at weddings. She couldn't help but gawk at the other patrons as the maître d' led her to a private dining room in the back.

The room was bigger than her whole apartment. It would have been elegant if not for several gold statuettes and busts that put it on the border of gaudy. In the center of the room sat an ornate gilded mahogany table. At the end of the table sat Turnbull. He rose a moment after she entered. The bull strode toward her, saying "Judy, it's so good to finally meet you." He extended a hoof as big as Judy's head.

Judy hesitated a moment before returning his handshake. "I appreciate the hospitality, Mr. Turnbull. It's Officer Hopps, though."

"Of course," Turnbull gestured to the table. "Shall we?" The two took their seats, the attendant by the table helping Judy into her heavily boosted chair. "I've asked my chef to pull out all the stops for us tonight." As if on cue - and with Turnbull it was a distinct possibility that it _was_ on cue - a pair of servers entered in perfect synchronization and presented two bowls of a wonderful-smelling carrot soup.

"Your chef?" Judy asked after the performance ended.

"Of course, I own this restaurant. My father built Turnbull Enterprises off the back of restaurants like this," Turnbull took a sip of wine. Judy couldn't make heads or tails of the bottle, but it was a white wine of some sort, and it looked expensive.

Judy nodded politely. She ate a spoonful of the soup. It was wonderful. Sweet from the carrots with a hint of exotic spices balanced perfectly with one another. Almost involuntarily she let out a small "Wow."

"It's good, isn't it? The carrots are from a local farm we work with closely, and the spices are imported from-"

"Mr. Turnbull," Just thought she saw Turnbull's carefully crafted character crack for a brief second. "You didn't invite me to dinner to talk about the soup."

"Very perceptive of you, Officer Hopps," a new hint of annoyance was carefully but not completely disguised in Turnbull's voice. "Getting right to the point, then, this is about the race for mayor. You're a police officer, Hopps. I'm sure you care greatly about the city's safety."

"Uh huh," Judy nodded hesitantly.

"And I'm sure you'd agree that some animals are more capable of violence than others. A mouse is less capable of assault than a tiger, for instance."

"I mean, I guess, but-"

"And since some animals are biologically more dangerous-"

"No," Judy interrupted Turnbull again, and his facade fell.

"Excuse me?"

"Capable of being dangerous and actually being dangerous are different. The most dangerous animal this city has ever seen was a sheep. I'm sorry Mr. Turnbull, but this dinner is over. The last time I got involved with an animal like you, bad things happened," Judy jumped down from her seat.

"You can forget about a ride back, then," Turnbull threatened.

"There's a train station two blocks west," Judy shot back before turning her back and walking out. From behind the now closed door, she could hear the sound of glass shattering.


	8. Chapter Eight

A snow leopard who appeared to be in his late-20s went through the fur on Todd's face with a fine comb, meticulously ensuring each strand was perfectly positioned for HD TV. Earlier, an antelope had nearly ripped Todd out of the suit he had worn to the ZNN studios, replacing it with a remarkably similar one that nevertheless was apparently better with his fur color. On top of this cosmetic ballet, Dakota and Hubert wouldn't leave his side, hounding him with continuous interview prep.

"Mr. Renard, in your speech at the CLaW dinner you came out against reparations for the victims of Bellwether's administration. Would you care to explain why?" Dakota said, playing the part of the interviewer.

Todd faced straight ahead. The last time he tried to turn and look at Dakota while he answered, he'd received an angry slap on the paw from the groomer. "Reparations ultimately don't get to the core of the problem. While I'm not against them-"

"Wrong. You can't come out in favor of reparations at all if they ask," Dakota broke character.

"Why not? He should say what he believes. That's why mammals support him," Hubert interjected.

"Reparations are unpopular among prey. There's a reason Lionheart is falling like a rock in the polls," Dakota shot back.

"Do you want to make him another flavorless establishment candidate like Nileworthy?" Hubert started to get a bit heated.

"Nileworthy is still beating us," Dakota retorted coolly. Hubert failed to find a response before an intern in a headset came up to them.

"Mr. Renard, you're on in sixty seconds," the sheep said.

"Thank you," Todd said. The groomer packed his tools and started toward another studio in the blink of an eye. Free from the snow leopard's grasp, Todd turned to Dakota. "I'll be fine. We've been prepping for this interview for days. They won't ask about reparations because Lionheart's a nonentity in the race now."

"You're right, you'll do fine," Dakota patted him on the shoulder before half-shoving him toward the set. "Now get out there."

Todd sat opposite Kitty Couric, the snow leopard ZNN anchor. The director signalled 15 seconds. Couric turned to Todd and found a couple seconds to squeeze in "Before we begin, I just want to say I'm a big fan." The director gave a hand signal, a red light blinked to life on the camera, and Couric's entire physicality shifted to that of a perfectly poised presenter. "Good evening," she began. "And welcome to ZNN. I'm Kitty Couric. Tonight we have on animal-rights lawyer and mayoral candidate Todd Renard."

"Thank you Kitty. It's a pleasure to be here," Todd replied.

"Mr. Renard, you have routinely criticized the Mammal Inclusion Initiative, yet your platform is largely based on its expansion. Can you elaborate on this?" Couric tossed him a soft ball of a question.

"Well, the current Mammal Inclusion Initiative is a good start. It opens doors. What I want to do is make these doors accessible to everyone; to start fixing systemic problems that continue to hold back all mammals." Todd felt cool, calm, and confident.

"You say you want to help all mammals, yet your campaign thus far has focused heavily on predator rights specifically. Why is this?"

"There is no fighting for animal rights without fighting for predator rights. Prey have their own challenges which should be addressed, but if you've got two neighbors - one whose house is on fire and one whose garden is dying - who are you going to lend your hose to first? Both need it, but one situation is far more urgent than the other. I've said it since the beginning: predator rights are animal rights," Todd was pretty sure he was nailing this interview. Nailing it, that is, until Couric put her finger up to her earpiece.

Something in Couric's face shifted subtly, and Todd could see a curveball coming. "Mr. Renard, your opponent Andrew Turnbull has just released a statement via his official Zootube channel that we would like your response to."

The broadcast monitors cut to a professionally shot video of Turnbull in his penthouse apartment. "Todd Renard is a predator supremacist," Turnbull came out swinging. Todd rolled his eyes. "He calls himself an animal-rights advocate. He claims to be standing up for all animals. Yet, despite this, he maintains close ties primarily with groups only concerned with predator issues. In addition, the record of 'defending animal rights' that he claims is misleading. His case record shows him almost exclusively defending predators - several of which had been accused of violent crimes," the video cut to shots of newspaper headings of some of the clients Todd had defended, especially the cases he ultimately lost. "Even his official statements show he only cares about predators. 'Predator rights are animal rights', but what about prey? Todd Renard couldn't care less about 90% of this city. Vote for me, Andrew Turnbull, because I want to make Zootopia safe for _all_ animals."

The video ended. Todd looked nervously toward Dakota, who was already chewing out a crew member. They hadn't prepped for this. Hell, they hadn't even considered something like this could happen. His heart raced, but Todd tried his best to hide his nerves from the camera. Couric turned toward him. "This is a strong claim against you, Mr. Renard, and the first such against you by Turnbull. Would you care to respond?"

"I stand for predators because animals like Turnbull stand against them," Todd wanted to take back his words as soon as they left his mouth. He screwed up. Those were the wrong words.

Couric smelled blood. She leaned in, her previous amiability devoured by her journalistic hunger for tomorrow's headline. "So you're not disputing the claim that you favor predators over prey?"

"That's not what I meant," Todd's ears pressed against his skull. He glanced at Dakota again, who had put a hold on confronting the crew and now appeared to be attempting to murder him with her eyes. "What I meant is that, uh, I defended predators during Bellwether's administration because they needed it the most."

"Why have you not sought the endorsement of any prey-focused groups?"

"We have reached out to several large animal rights groups without a specifically predator focus for their endorsement," the question was close enough to their prep that, for a brief moment, Todd had a glimmer of hope that he could stop this train from derailing.

"Have any endorsed you yet?"

Todd hesitated for a fatal fraction of a second. "None have made a final decision yet."

Couric turned to the camera. "That's all of the time we have today," she turned back to Todd. "Thank you for joining us, Mr. Renard." Turning back to the camera: "After the break, our analysts discuss Carlos Lupez's rapid fall in the polls. I'm Kitty Couric, and you're watching ZNN."

The camera switched off, Couric removed her mic, and an intern came over to do the same for Todd. Couric quickly rose from the desk without even seeming to notice that Todd was still there. She hurried off, surrounded by crew members, each vying for her attention on something.

As for Todd, he sat stunned for a moment. Dakota woke him from his daze, storming the set. "You stupid- I can't believe- How could-"

Hubert followed close behind her. "What the heck was that?"

A crew member came up and started ushering the trio off the set. Todd found a word. "I-"

"No. You stop," Dakota ensured he would only find the one. "Do you realize how much damage control we'll have to run now? We were having enough trouble with the fox thing, and now you're a _specist_ fox too!"

"It's okay, we'll fix this. We'll fix this," Hubert seemed to be attempting to convince himself as much as either of the others.

"You're darn right we're going to fix this," Dakota pointed directly at Todd. "And we're going to do this because you'll do _exactly_ what I tell you to do."


	9. Chapter Nine

Todd glanced at the clock on the microwave: 2:46. Volunteers would be coming around 3:00 for doorbell training. In the meantime he, Dakota, and Hubert were busy trying to keep endorsements from slipping out of their grasp. On the wall hung a sheet of paper with the names of the groups still up-in-the-air written on it. Almost half were crossed out, a third had a check by them, and the rest still needed to be called.

While Todd and Hubert sat on hold on their respective calls, Dakota paced the apartment. "Mr. Hornsby, I completely understand but… no, sir, but you see… wait, sir, please don't- dammit!" Dakota looked like she was going to smash her phone on the floor for a second. She took a deep breath before crossing over to the paper. She took a marker and put a line through the Animal Aid Alliance. She dragged herself to the kitchen to pour another cup of coffee.

"This is Elaina Clydesdale," Todd's line sprung to life with the voice of the President of the Program Opposing the Neglect of Youth, a children's rights group. They were not the largest group, but they held some sway with parents and teachers.

"Good afternoon, Mrs. Clydesdale. This is Todd Renard. I'm calling to ask about the status of your endorsement of my campaign," Todd recited almost automatically at this point.

Elaina sighed. "You've put us in a tough spot, Mr. Renard. Several members of the board have major reservations about you, especially after the...incident on ZNN."

"Yes, of course," Todd said. "It was a simple case of misspeaking in the heat of the moment. The Turnbull message was sprung on us with no time to craft a response-"

"We realize this," Elaina cut in. "But there is still the issue of coming out publicly in support of you. We can't put our necks out for you for nothing in return."

Todd gestured for Dakota to come over. With her keen hearing, she'd be able to follow the conversation without putting the phone on speaker. "What do you want?" Todd asked Elaina.

"Here at PONY we have some improvements to the education system in Zootopia we'd like to see implemented. We'd like you to adopt them as part of your platform."

"You want me to promise to adopt your platform sight unseen?" Todd asked. Even Dakota looked hesitant at the idea.

"Do you not trust that our recommendations would be good for the children of Zootopia? Perhaps Mayor Nileworthy would be more amenable to our suggestions."

"W-wait. Please give me and my campaign manager a moment to discuss," Todd said. He turned to Dakota and set down his phone for a moment. In hushed tones he said, "We can't do this."

"I agree. What other choices do we have?" she said. "Any ideas?"

Todd's ears picked up after a moment of thought. "We promise them an advisory role in exchange for negotiating their platform." Dakota nodded at the idea. Todd picked up the phone again. "Mrs. Clydesdale, are you still there?"

"I am. Have you reached a decision?"

"I'm sure that your recommendations will be more than acceptable, but we cannot accept them without looking at them first. I'm sure you understand. You can email them to us and we'll discuss them after. As a gesture of goodwill, however, I can promise that I'll keep your organization close at hand for any issue dealing with children once I'm in City Hall."

There was a pause on the other end of the line. Todd's heart beat heavily as he waited to see if his plan worked. "That is acceptable. We'll send you our requests and discuss them with you on Wednesday. In the meantime, we'll keep your endorsement on the table."

"Thank you Mrs. Clydesdale," Todd felt a weight lift from his shoulders. Dakota gave him a thumbs-up.

"Thank you, Mr. Renard. Have a nice day."

"You too," they hung up.

"Good job," Dakota moved to the paper and put an asterisk by the name. Someone knocked on the door. Todd glanced at the clock: 2:55. The volunteers were arriving.

* * *

Half-an-hour later, all their volunteers had arrived and been trained. Mrs. Crevan, her daughter, and a pair of her college-aged grandchildren clutched stacks of fliers. A few more college students - the friends of Mrs. Crevan's grandchildren - made up more of the gathering. The students were split about 50-50 predator-prey. Beyond that, a few college friends of Todd and Hubert's showed up. All-in-all, about fifteen volunteers along with Todd, Dakota, and Hubert packed themselves inside Todd's shoebox apartment.

Todd maneuvered his way to the front of the group. "Before we begin, I just want to start by thanking you. Thank you for giving up your Sunday afternoon to work for free. Thank you for sticking with us despite the recent rough patch. Most of all, though, thank you for just being involved in the political process. It's mammals that get involved like you that make a difference in the world," Todd paused for a beat. "That said, let's knock on some doors!"

* * *

The door opened to reveal a porcupine in sweatpants and an old t-shirt. When his eyes met Todd's, the porcupine's quills bristled.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Quillman, my name is Todd Renard and I'm-"

"I know who you are," the porcupine said, curt and confrontational.

With some hesitation, Todd continued. "Well then you must know about my record defending animal rights. I want to-"

"You want to make predators on top of prey," Todd knew where this was going. "I know all about you. I read Breitbark. I know that Turnbull is the only candidate we can trust," the porcupine slammed the door. Todd let out a frustrated sigh and marked him as 'Highly Unlikely Support'.

* * *

"Good afternoon, Mrs. Voorhooves," Todd greeted the zebra at the door. The zebra's eyes went over Todd quickly, the door kept slightly between the fox and herself. "My name is Todd Renard, and I'm running for Mayor of Zootopia. How are you?" He handed her a flier, which she took after a moment.

"I'm...I'm fine, thank you. Yourself?" the zebra seemed to polite to say that she wasn't interested.

"I'm doing fine, thank you very much. I'm running to advance animal rights by strengthening the Mammal Inclusion Initiative. Is this something that interests you?" Todd was going to take advantage of this politeness.

The zebra hesitated for a second. "Well, to be honest, I think you go too far. The Initiative already privileges less qualified mammals over more qualified ones," Todd opened his mouth to respond, but the zebra continued before he could say anything. "But Nileworthy is a nobody and Turnbull is just...yeugh," she shuddered slightly at the name. "So I guess I'm undecided. I'll consider you, but none of you excite me."

Todd wasn't going to risk alienating her to explain himself. "Great, well thank you very much for your time. Have a great day,"

"You too," the zebra said as she closed the door. Todd attempted to be thankful for small victories and marked the zebra as 'potential support'.

* * *

The sun was just beginning to set as Todd arrived back at his apartment. His clipboard was covered with neutral responses. Todd tossed the clipboard and leftover fliers on the coffee table and flopped onto the couch. He closed his eyes and let out a sigh. Hours of work and what did he have to show for it? A few less fliers and not a single enthusiastic supporter. He heard someone set a mug on the coffee table by his head. He opened his eyes and saw Dakota with a cup of coffee for herself and a similar cup on the table for him.

"What's up?" Dakota sat in a nearby chair, her voice more compassionate that Todd had ever heard it.

Todd sat up. "Dakota, give it to me straight. Is my campaign dead?"

"Despite your best efforts, no. Not yet," she sipped her coffee. "How'd doorbelling go?"

"I barely got a response one way or the other from most mammals. It just seemed like they wanted me gone more than anything," Todd picked up his cup more as an automatic action than anything else.

"That's because they _did_ want you gone," Dakota said. "If someone came to your door just as you were getting off work to bug you with something you didn't want to deal with, how would you feel? It's nothing personal."

"What's the point if all we do is bug them, then?"

"Let me tell you something. For every eleven doors we knock on, we create a new voter for you. That doesn't mean we convince someone to switch their vote, it means that someone who wouldn't have voted before is going to vote now, and they're going to vote for you. You can't see it now, but you will on election day," Dakota got up and walked to the TV. "Oh, I want to show you something," Dakota flipped on the screen. ZNN was on with a story about the election. "Oh good, it's on right now."

"In our first poll since Ariel Lionheart suspended her candidacy, Andrew Turnbull retains his top spot at 30% support among those polled," Peter Moosebridge began. "Mayor John Nileworthy follows at 25%. Despite a recent stumble in a ZNN interview, Todd Renard sits at third at 20%. In a distant fourth, Carlos Lupez finds himself polling at only 4%, many of his former supporters having turned to Renard and Nileworthy. 21% of voters remain undecided, and this turbulent race remains anyone's game."

Dakota switched off the TV. "If that doesn't convince you that we're still in this, I don't know what will."


	10. Chapter Ten

The stage seemed so much larger than Todd had ever realized. He’d been to the Zootopia Performing Arts Center before when plays and musicals came through, but the set had always made the stage seem smaller. Now only three podiums stood onstage atop a slightly elevated platform with a moderator’s desk in front, and the sheer size of the space was staggering. Todd noticed a small stool behind one of the podiums, there so he wouldn’t seem quite so short compared to his opponents. In the background, top-forty songs played over the speakers as the audience filtered in. Tonight was the last major debate of the election, but Todd’s first. He, Dakota, and Hubert waited in the wings offstage, attempting to prep while staying out of the way of the crew.

“Mr. Renard, after your recent comments on ZNN you were criticized by some as a predator supremacist. Responding to this, you have defended yourself by saying you misspoke in the heat of the moment. Do you have the ability to think on your feet necessary to lead a city like Zootopia?” Hubert read off a card. He and Dakota had prepared every scenario they could foresee even possibly arising. Todd had wondered while they made the cards if they defeated the purpose of asking if he could think on his feet. Dakota hadn’t found that funny.

“I absolutely have the ability to think on my feet. I could never have gotten as far as I have in my career nor on the campaign trail without it. Missteps happen, and it is unfortunate that one happened on live TV, but I don’t make a habit of misspeaking,” Todd half-recited back.

“Mr. Renard, your competitor Mr. Turnbull has said--” Dakota started.

”Dakota Latrans!” A bubbly voice rang out. Dakota’s ears dropped as she wheeled around. She locked eyes with a tan rabbit who looked about her age. Dakota forced her ears up and put on a smile.

“Hannah, it’s been so long,” Dakota said through her smile. She turned to Todd and Hubert. “Guys, this is--”

“Hi, I’m Hannah Cotton, old colleague of Dakota’s and campaign manager for Mayor Nileworthy,” the rabbit jumped in.

Dakota sighed. “Yes. Well, Hannah, this is--”

“Todd Renard, of course I know who he is. He’s all over the news,” Hannah almost sounded starstruck, but Todd could feel an air of phoniness radiating off of her.

“It’s nice to meet you Ms. Cotton,” Todd politely extended a paw.

“Likewise,” she returned the gesture. She turned to Hubert. “And you must be Hubert Hamilton. I enjoy your articles in the Times.”

“Thank you,” Hubert shook her paw as well.

“Well Dakota, I’m impressed. I thought you were done, but I guess I was wrong,” Todd almost missed Hannah’s quick glance his way.

“Done? What do you mean done?” Todd looked at Dakota, and for the first time saw fear.

“Oh, you haven’t heard? I thought she would have told you,” Hannah’s voice was almost singsong.

“Told me what? Stop dancing around it,” Todd barked.

“I shouldn’t, but--” Hannah started.

“That I haven’t won an election in five years,” Dakota cut in before she could drag it out longer.

Todd said nothing for a moment, stunned. “Were you ever planning on telling me this?”

“I was hoping it wouldn’t come up. Look, I’ll tell you the whole story tonight but right now the debate is more important,” Dakota attempted to maintain a professional tone, but couldn’t hide the pleading in her voice.

“No, right now you need to tell me who exactly you are. I put my whole campaign in your hands more than once, and I’m only just now finding out this may not have been the best idea.”

Hannah giggled. “Well, it seems like you have some catching up to do. I’ll see you later, Dak.”

Todd barely registered the bunny leaving. “Talk.”

Dakota sighed. “Fine. Fifteen years or so ago, when I was just starting out in the field, I was a rising star of sorts. I mean, I had to rise through the ranks like anyone else, but by my thirties I was on top of the pile. I’ve put more than one mammal on the city council here, and even more out in the suburbs. I’ve even put mayors in office out there. No one was shocked when Boris Aurorsky asked me to manage his campaign for mayor of Zootopia.

“I’m sure you remember the disaster that was the Aurorsky campaign. We couldn’t shake accusations that he had connections to Mr. Big. Every donation, every endorsement, everything was under constant scrutiny. We couldn’t shift the discussion to anything else. I’ve never met a more clean-cut polar bear, but mammals believe what they want to believe.

“Lionheart killed us on election day. It wasn’t even close. The results started off bad and just got worse as the night went on. The campaign was over, but I was symbolically fired anyway. It was humiliating. It was far and away the worst loss I’d ever suffered in a race.

“In the five years since, something changed. For whatever reason, I couldn’t win a single election. A couple losses in a row isn’t unheard of, but a five year dry spell? The campaign I managed before yours was for city treasurer and I couldn’t even pull that one off,” Dakota paused for a moment. More quietly she continued. “I never expected to manage your campaign. I had resigned myself to being a consultant or a field manager or something like that. I was prepared to officially take my first step down the ladder. When you didn’t recognize me and didn’t already have a campaign manager, I knew I could sneak my way in. I saw it as a shortcut back to my former glory, a redemption of sorts.”

“All the while gambling my campaign,” Todd bit.

“Well yes, but--”

“Do you realize how much money has gone into this campaign? How much has come out of my pocket directly? You’ve seen where I live. You know I don’t have Turnbull’s money.”

“I know, but--”

Dakota was cut off by the thundering footsteps of Turnbull. “Clear off,” the bull growled. He adjusted his tie. “It’s time for the candidates to take the stage.”.

Dakota opened her mouth to say something, then stopped herself. She and Hubert started to walk away. “Dakota,” Todd called out. She turned around. “I’ll decide in 48 hours.”

She nodded solemnly and continued her march from the stage. Turnbull chuckled. “Trouble?” Todd refused to acknowledge him. Turnbull continued, “Just fire her. There are plenty of operatives out there ready to put a big-time race on their resume, even if it  _ is _ a loss.”

After a moment, Todd heard Nileworthy join the two of them. No one said a word. The tension between the candidates hung heavy in the air.

The moderator took the stage from the other wing: a water buffalo and political correspondent for ZNN. “Good evening, and welcome to the final debate between the candidates for Mayor of Zootopia. We are in the beautiful Zootopia Performing Arts Center to hear the top three candidates discuss and debate the issues facing Zootopia. I’m Robert Cape, and I will be your moderator tonight.”

Todd could feel his heart pounding.

“So, without further ado, let’s introduce our candidates. Our third place candidate has advocated for animal and predator rights in court and on the campaign trail.”

Todd took as deep a breath as he could manage.

“Please welcome to the stage, Todd Renard.”


	11. Chapter Eleven

"Please welcome to the stage, Todd Renard," Cape announced. Applause and some cheers accompanied Todd as he crossed the stage. He put on a smile and tried to put backstage behind him. At this moment, the debate was more important than Dakota. He waved to the crowd, hoping that by acting confident and excited he could trick himself into actually feeling that way. Todd made his way to the furthest podium from his entrance, stepped up onto the stool behind it, and waited for the debate to get underway.

"Our next candidate tonight is Interim Mayor John Nileworthy," Cape continued. Nileworthy emerged from backstage, his demeanor as carefully calculated as a pop song written in a board room, and exactly as interesting. He was the consummate bland-bureaucrat-turned-inoffensive-politician, the safe choice for the indecisive and afraid of change. He received polite applause, and took his podium on the opposite side of the stage as Todd.

"And finally, our leading candidate, please welcome Andrew Turnbull." As the bull took the stage, a familiar tangle of strong reactions erupted both ways. Turnbull swaggered to the center podium. Despite Todd's boost, Turnbull towered over him nonetheless. The size difference between the two was almost comical. Todd knew that if he didn't come out swinging he'd fade into the background immediately. "We will begin tonight by having each candidate give some brief opening remarks. Mr. Renard, you have thirty seconds," Cape said.

"Thank you. When this race for mayor began, I'm sure the last thing anyone expected was to see a fox on this stage. Even five years ago-" Five years ago. Aurorsky. Dakota. No, he had to focus. Todd clenched his paw to bring himself back to the moment. "Five years ago such a thing would have been completely unthinkable. While the Mammal Inclusion Initiative has opened new doors for species like rabbits and foxes, we can do more. As mayor, I will build a Zootopia where not only can a rabbit be a police officer or a fox mayor, but they can do so without anyone batting an eye. I want a Zootopia where anyone can truly be anything," Some cheers from supporters and boos from particularly raucous detractors mixed with applause as Todd finished.  
"Thank you, Mr. Renard. Mayor Nileworthy, the floor is yours."

"Thank you, Mr. Cape," Nileworthy glanced at his notes for a moment. "Ladies and gentlemammals, the administration of Mayor Lionheart wrought great things for this city, the Mammal Inclusion Initiative chief among them. He put us on a good path, and as mayor I will continue us down that path. In my tenure as interim mayor I have kept us steady, and we have been better off for that."

"Thank you Mayor Nileworthy," Cape said after allowing a moment for the audience to politely react. "Mr. Turnbull, your opening statements, please."

Turnbull cleared his throat. "The events of Bellwether's administration proved the weakness of our city as it currently stands. Ask the victims of maulings at the claws of lion, polar bears, and tigers if the ZPD adequately responded. We need a strong police force capable of dealing with criminals whose anatomy makes them inherently more dangerous," Turnbull punctuated the word 'strong' by pounding his fist on the podium. "A savage polar bear has the same claws and fangs as all polar bears. The Mammal Inclusion Initiative weakens this city by forcing us to pass over qualified mammals in the name of 'fairness'. As mayor, I would make this city a safe place by every means at my disposal."

Turnbull's supporters cheered, while the rest of the audience remained quiet or clapped half-heartedly out of politeness. As the crowd died down, Cape spoke up. "Thank you Mr. Turnbull. With that, we will proceed to the questions. Mr. Turnbull, you have come out against the Mammal Inclusion Initiative, which both of your opponents support. You have stated that you believe the Initiative weakens the city. Would you care to elaborate?"

"Yes, I would. When you picture a police officer, what do you picture? A large, strong animal like a bull, elephant, or buffalo. What have we gotten from the Initiative? A bunny prone to reckless endangerment and vigilantism and a fox with an extensive history as a conman and criminal," Turnbull made a small, almost unnoticeable gesture in Todd's direction. "When a dangerous tiger breaks into your home, would you rather have a strong bull or a shifty fox come to your rescue?"

Applause came from the Turnbull supporters. "Alright, thank you Mr.-" Cape began.

"Excuse me, sir, but I'd like to respond to his comments," Todd interjected.

"Alright, Mr. Renard, you may have thirty seconds to respond."

"Thank you. My opponent characterizes criminals as large predators and smaller police officers as inherently less capable than their larger counterparts. However, the most dangerous mammal this city has seen was a sheep, and she was ultimately taken down by the same rabbit and fox he spoke ill of just a moment ago. To use officers Hopps and Wilde to criticize the Mammal Inclusion Initiative is ridiculous. If anything we need more officers like them."

"Thank you-" Cape started.

"You want more officers who are reckless enough to nearly cause a massive train crash while working a case they're not assigned to?" Turnbull spoke over Cape.

"Excuse me-" Cape attempted to continue.

"I want more officers able to do what is needed, regardless of their species," Todd rebutted.

"Gentlemammals!" Cape nearly shouted, regaining control of the debate. "Please, for the sake of orderly discussion, refrain from unrequested replies. The next question will go to Mayor Nileworthy. Your critics have accused you of lacking vision. What is your response to this?"

"I sat in many meetings with Mayor Lionheart. I know what he planned to do and advised him many a time. I believe in the direction he wanted to take Zootopia, and I will continue down the path I think is best for this city," Nileworthy said, receiving modest, polite applause.

"I'd like to reply," Turnbull said, a hint of annoyance in his voice from having to ask for something.

"Oh, um, alright," Cape seemed surprised that Turnbull found anything to respond to in Nileworthy's statement. "You have thirty seconds to give your response."

"His whole campaign, Nileworthy has been lionizing the plans of a felon currently serving a sentence for false imprisonment. For all that Bellwether has come up in this race, Lionheart has come out nearly unscathed."

"That's because, while what Lionheart did was wrong, Bellwether was the toxic heart at the center of it all," Todd jumped in.

"Mr. Renard, please." Cape chastised.

"I'm not surprised you'd jump to his defense. You're certainly at home defending guilty predators," Turnbull shot. His supporters cheered. Before Cape could step in to cut him off, Turnbull continued. "You can't even be trusted to follow the simple rules of a debate. Maybe there's a reason they sell fox repellent at every corner store."

Turnbulls fans went wild.

* * *

As the night went on, it became increasingly clear that Todd and Turnbull would be sharing the spotlight, with an occasional nod to the third candidate also present. As volleys flew back and forth, Nileworthy lacked the firepower to truly stand out. He faded into the background, holding attention only as long as he spoke and no longer.

Beyond Nileworthy's unimpressive performance, little else could be agreed on about the outcome of the debate. Half called the night in favor of Turnbull, half Todd. Some thought Nileworthy would suspend his campaign, some thought Todd or Turnbull had been dealt the killing blow by their opponent, and a few even thought they'd dealt killing blows to each other and opened up a path for Nileworthy.

But in the end, it was all speculation.

Late the next day, Todd sat on the phone with donors while ZNN played quietly on the TV. Peter Moosebridge read "Personal defense manufacturer Fox Away has seen a bump in sales of its popular, yet controversial product Fox Repellent. Analysts attribute the increase in sales to comments made by Andrew Turnbull at a debate last night between candidates for mayor of Zootopia," the footage cut to a clip of Turnbull's comment. "Turnbull has received criticism for what has been interpreted as an indirect threat against his opponent, Todd Renard. Many Turnbull supporters, however, have taken to wearing Fox Repellent as a political statement, spurned by a social media campaign started by a large Turnbull supporters' page on Furbook. Regarding this recent bump in sales, Fox Away CEO Landon Lagos has so far declined to comment. Lagos has, however, made pro-Turnbull statements previously in the campaign."

Todd turned off the TV as the story ended. He sat down and turned to the next page of his call list, heavy thoughts about Dakota still lingering in his mind.


	12. Chapter Twelve

Shattered glass littered the sidewalk before the smashed storefront window of Taxus Electronics. The store owner, a badger, continued to look over the scene with a combination of shock, disbelief, and horror. Also littering the area were a number of bystanders gawking both at the aftermath of the vandalism and the police cruiser that had just arrived. Out of the car stepped officers Judy Hopps and Nicholas Wilde.

"ZPD, please clear a path," Judy said, the crowd parting to allow the fox and rabbit through. Judy turned to her partner. "I'll talk to the owner, you stay here and handle the crowd."

"You got it, Carrots," Nick said with his normal smirk. As he turned to face the crowd, though, his demeanour became more serious and official. "Alright everyone, keep your distance. We need to keep the area clear and undisturbed."

The crowd retreated to a rough semicircle on the sidewalk around the shop. Most made their way quickly, but out of the corner of his eye Nick spied a pig - couldn't be much older than a college student - bend over and pick something off the ground.

"Um, excuse me but you need to put that back," Nick called out. The pig ignored him. Nick started toward the offender. "You, kid, I saw you grab something. What is it?"

"What are you talking about?" the pig avoided making eye contact with Nick.

"You bent over and grabbed something. What part of 'undisturbed' did you not understand?"

"I've got no idea what you-"

"Is something the matter here?" Judy walked away from the conversation with the store owner.

"I saw this guy pick something up off the ground and he refuses to hand it over," Nick said.

"You can't prove anything!"

"Sir, you realize that tampering with evidence carries with it a penalty of up to twenty years in prison? If you took something from the crime scene, hand it over," Judy held out a paw.

The pig grumbled for a moment before pulling a piece of cloth from his pocket. "Just wanted a souvenir," he muttered.

Judy took the cloth. "Thank you. Next time cooperate with my partner."

The pig grumbled something under his breath.

"I'm sorry, I didn't quite catch that," Nick said, holding a paw up to his ear.

"I said 'Just because you put a fox in a uniform doesn't mean you can trust them'," shot the pig.

"Excuse me?" Nick said incredulously.

"Sir, I can assure you that Officer Wilde is very trustworthy. I've put my life in his paws many times," Judy struggled to remain professional.

"Yeah, whatever. I can't wait 'til Turnbull fires you all and we get some _good_ cops," the pig replied with a huff before storming away.

After that, Nick and Judy were able to continue their investigation relatively undisturbed. They got a description of the suspect and potential motive: it seemed to be a case of anti-predator violence. After forensics teams arrived, Nick and Judy returned to their cruiser. Nick was uncharacteristically quiet.

"What's wrong?" Judy asked.

"Hm? Oh nothing," Nick conspicuously stared out the window, not meeting Judy's eyes.

"Don't let that kid get to you. He's just an idiot."

"I know but… dang it, I worked my butt off for this uniform and I still can't get anyone to trust me. What does a fox have to do to get mammals to trust him?" Nick's voice filled with exasperation.

"Nick you-" Judy was cut off by the dispatch radio. High-profile assault, and they were one of the teams assigned to it. She slammed on the gas and started toward the hospital.

* * *

Todd adjusted his shirt slightly and removed a pamphlet from the stack in his bag. Doorbelling still made him feel like a missionary, but the more he did it the easier it got. He took a breath and knocked on the door. Dakota and Hubert were on the floor below doing the same thing.

While he waited for the resident to answer the door, Todd glanced at his clipboard for their name. Chuck Cabra, goat, male, 47 years old, registered voter for twelve years. Todd guessed Cabra would lean a bit more conservative and mentally adjusted his pitch to compensate.

The door opened to reveal a goat about Todd's height wearing an old button down shirt. Cabra looked Todd up and down with suspicion, but didn't say anything.

"Hello Mr. Cabra, my name is Todd Renard and I'm running for mayor of Zootopia," Todd handed him a flier, which Cabra promptly set on what Todd guessed was a small table by the door without even a cursory glance-over. "I'm running to help make sure that the best mammals for a job can get that job, regardless of species. Is this something that interests you?"

Cabra gave a slight grunt in response that Todd wasn't fully certain how to interpret. He decided to continue. "Are there any other issues that are important to you?"

"Yeah, I've heard that you're a predator supremacist," Cabra said flatly.

Todd tried to play it off with a chuckle. "Yes, that rumor has certainly refused to give up. However, if you take a look at the flier you'll see-"

The goat reached for where he placed the pamphlet. All Todd saw of what he grabbed, however, was a small canister of something before a spray hit his face. Instantly his eyes and sinuses felt like they'd been set on fire. He was dimly aware that the spray was continuing and that the goat yelled something, but the pain was so overwhelming that he couldn't process either. Todd stumbled backwards and fell hard on his back, almost knocking the wind out of himself.

The spray stopped, but the burning continued. Todd tried to cry out in pain, but all he could manage was a pathetic croaking sound. He felt the pounding of the goat's hooves against the floor as Cabra fled down the hallway. Todd called out in a rough voice for help from anyone who could hear him. There was no way to tell if anyone did, his eyes still sealed shut from the pain. He pawed at his face in a desperate, instinctual attempt to somehow wipe the burning away, but it didn't help. If anything, it somehow made the burning worse by getting more of the spray in his eyes. Todd laid on the ground in agony for what felt like forever before he heard someone call his name, bring him to his feet, and start to lead him down the hallway.


	13. Chapter Thirteen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I completely forgot to upload this chapter here, sorry about that.

Though the initial shock subsided, the burning continued. Todd still couldn't open his eyes, but he could tell he was in a car, and he could hear Dakota say "Todd, we're taking you to the emergency room. We've called the police and they're going to meet us there. As far as we can tell you were sprayed with fox repellent, but we don't know for certain that it's not something worse." She was doing her best to keep her voice calm, but urgency and panic tinted her tone.

"Thank you," Todd croaked.

The drive to the hospital passed as quickly as it could, mostly in near silence punctuated by Dakota sporadically telling Todd where they were or giving assurances that he'd be fine. After a few minutes, Todd felt the car come to a stop. In an almost motherly voice, Dakota said "We're here."

His door opened, and Todd felt Hubert guide him out of the car. Hubert and Dakota led him across the parking lot into the emergency room. The sounds of other animals sick and in pain filled the waiting room. He was led to what he assumed was the check-in area.

The voice of someone that Todd presumed was a nurse said "What's the nature of your emergency."

"While out campaigning he was sprayed with something. We think it's just fox repellent but we don't know," Dakota said.

"You might be waiting a little bit. What's the patient's name?"

"Todd Renard."

There was a slight pause. "Todd Renard? Actually if you don't know what he was sprayed with then we should get him in sooner rather than later. A doctor will be with you in about ten minutes."

"Thank you," Todd said, still hoarse. Something sat uneasily in his chest about the whole exchange. Though she didn't outright say it, Todd could tell he was getting special treatment. He didn't have to see to know that he was not the most seriously injured animal there. At the same time, the continued burning in his eyes and sinuses needed to stop. Todd sat in an uncomfortable silence, unhappy about accepting special treatment but unwilling to turn it down, until a voice announced "Todd Renard, the doctor will see you now."

Todd was led down a hallway into a room, and guided into a seat. "Mr. Renard? My name is Anna Woolworth, I'm your doctor. Can you tell me what happened?" Her voice was practiced and gentle.

"I was going door-to-door and-" Todd broke into a small coughing fit before he could finish. "Could I get some water please?" he asked as it stopped.

"Of course," He heard a sink running and felt a small paper cup put into his hand. After a drink, he continued. "I was sprayed with something; fox repellent I think but I didn't get a good look before…"

He felt the doctor gently touch his face in order to manipulate his head. After a moment she said "Looks like it, and a pretty heavy dose too. Looks like you've got some burns. Nothing serious, but it's going to be uncomfortable for a while." Todd felt some sort of wipe across his face followed by some relief from the burning. "Here, follow me," Anna said, taking Todd's paw. "I've brought you to the sink. We're going to flush out the spray from your eyes. Lean over and try to open your eyes as much as you can."

After a few minutes, Todd was able to keep his eyes open more or less normally. The irritation was still there, but at least he could see. Standing by him at the sink was a ewe in blue scrubs. She was holding a small bottle of eye drops.

"If the irritation gets too bad, use these," she handed Todd the bottle.

"Thank you," he said.

"Of course. It's my job," she smiled. "Plus, if you're out there proving foxes can be trusted, someone's gotta do the same for sheep after Bellwether," she said the name like a curse.

"You're doing a great job Dr. Woolworth," Todd said. On the way out he said "Thank you again."

As Todd, Hubert, and Dakota returned to the lobby, a fox and rabbit in blue entered from the opposite direction. Both parties spotted each other at the same time, and quickly made their way to one another.

"Officers Wilde and Hopps!" Todd called out, his voice getting stronger but still fairly weak.

"Mr. Renard, we'd like to speak to you about the attack," Judy said. A moment later, a flashbulb went off.

"We may want to find somewhere away from prying eyes," Dakota said, gesturing to the first of what was sure to be several reporters and journalists to arrive on the scene.

"Agreed," Nick said. He turned toward the receptionist and called out "Do you have a more private place we can talk?"

The nurse seemed caught off guard. "U-um yeah, hold on just one moment," she disappeared for a moment before coming out from the door Todd and his friends just left. "Follow me."

She led the group down a hallway to one of the doctors' break rooms. Though they wouldn't kick out the occupants, they did commandeer a table in the corner away from the main area.

Taking out a notepad, Judy began. "Mr. Renard, can you describe for us exactly what occurred when you were attacked?"

"Well I was going door-to-door campaigning. I came up to this guy's door and gave my pitch. He didn't seem interested, but he didn't seem hostile - or at least no more so than anyone else-"

"What exactly do you mean by that?" Judy cut in.

"Well, most mammals aren't thrilled about being bothered at home, so there's kinda a baseline hostility that is to be expected. It's usually not a barrier though. But after I started on my pitch this guy called me a predator supremacist and sprayed me with fox repellent."

Nick scowled as Todd's story went on. "I can't believe…" he muttered under his breath.

"Do you have any information regarding his identity?" Judy continued.

"Yeah, he's a male goat named Chuck Cabra. I have more information about him in my satchel, which I guess is still in the car," Todd said.

"Let's go get it then," said Judy.

"Todd," Nick said as the group rose from the table. "I changed my mind. I'll endorse you."

"Nick…" Judy said.

"Officer Wilde…" Todd said simultaneously. He smiled. "Thank you."

As they walked down the hallway, Dakota pulled Todd aside. "There'll be a media circus camped out in front of the exit. Do you want to find another way out?"

As the first cameras spotted them and the first flashbulbs started going off, Todd thought for a moment and said. "No, now seems like a good time for a press conference."


	14. Chapter 14

"Coming to you live from Sacred Hart Hospital in Savannah Central, I'm Robert Cape for ZNN covering a reported attack on mayoral candidate Todd Renard," said the water buffalo, struggling slightly to stay in frame for his shorter cameraman. "For those just joining us, earlier this evening-"

Cape was cut off by a sudden flurry of flashbulbs as a fox exited the hospital with a small group surrounding him, including two police officers. Shortly after the cameras went off, a barrage of questions began; each reporter hoping that Renard might answer one or two in passing. "New development: Todd Renard has just left the hospital," Cape said before turning to try to get the fox's attention himself. The camera zoomed in on the group leaving the hospital.

Unexpectedly, Renard approached the press line instead of walking past it. "One at a time, one at a time," he shouted over the din, quieting the journalists. Finally able to catch a stable shot of him, ZNN's cameras broadcast to the whole city the image of a tired, red-eyed Todd Renard who, despite the small blisters peeking out from under his fur, seemed to burn with a new level of determination. Flanking him on his right were officers Hopps and Wilde, and on his left Hubert Hamilton and Dakota Latrans. Renard pointed to someone in the crowd and said "Yes, you, the sheep."

"Mr. Renard: Eric Woolsey, the Zootopia Times. Can you describe the incident that occurred today?"

"The ZPD will give a full report on the incident following their investigation. What I can say right now though is that I was attacked with fox repellent, and that immediately prior my attacker used rhetoric common to that in public statements from the Turnbull campaign," Todd replied. He had barely finished his sentence when more questions arose. "Yes, Mr. Cape."

"Thank you. Robert Cape from ZNN," he said for the other reporters' notes. "Are you implicating your opponent, Andrew Turnbull, in this attack?"

"Do I think Turnbull ordered or even desired an attack on me? No," Todd said, prompting a burst of note-taking from the reporters. "But tonight's events come as a direct result of the kind of anti-predator rhetoric we have seen from the Turnbull campaign from the very beginning. Turnbull thrives by pitting predator against prey, by using fear to make a gap then driving in a wedge to split us. I am far from the first victim of Turnbull's rhetoric, and I won't be the last unless we as a city refuse to tolerate him and all those who seek to divide us. Look at me," Todd gestured to his face. The camera focused on his eyes, broadcasting his bloodshot, burned eyes in HD across the city. "This is the Zootopia Turnbull wants. Is this the Zootopia you want?"

Some reporters tried to get in a follow-up question, but Officer Wilde leaned in and whispered something in Renard's ear. "Officers Hopps and Wilde would like to make a statement."

Todd stepped back, allowing Hopps and Wilde to take center stage. Judy's nervousness was evident, and not totally unexpected after her last press conference. Nick began. "Being a predator, let alone a fox, in this city means a difficult life no matter who you are. Day in and day out you wave to deal with fear and mistrust - sometimes even from those closest to you. It's easy to let it all beat you down, to become what the world expects you to be. But Todd Renard refused. When the world told him that he could never amount to anything, that no one would ever trust a fox, he refused to listen. Todd Renard is an example for not just predators but all animals of someone who refuses to let the injustices of the world win, no matter the cost, and that is why I'm endorsing him for mayor of Zootopia."

Another round of flashbulbs went off before Judy spoke. She hesitated slightly before beginning. "I lived my whole life with people telling me I could never be a cop. Friends, family, and even people who barely knew me all told me to abandon my dream because it was 'impossible'," By this point, Judy seemed to have found her stride. "I stand before you now as one of Zootopia's finest along with my fellow 'impossible' officer Nicholas Wilde, and I'm proud to endorse our 'impossible' candidate, Todd Renard."

Another storm of flashes and questions arose, but Todd waved them off. The camera caught the group walking to a car, exchanging some papers from a satchel bag, and leaving the parking lot. The camera panned back to Cape. "There you have it, what was originally coverage of an attack on Mayoral Candidate Todd Renard became a brief, impromptu press conference along with endorsements from Zootopia's two most famous police officers. You can be sure that this is not the end of this story. Coming to you from Sacred Hart Hospital in Savannah Central, I'm Robert Cape and this is ZNN."

* * *

After more questions at the ZPD headquarters and a barrage of interview requests in his email inbox, Todd was finally back at home wrapping up the last of the day's business with Dakota. Attack or no, they still had a campaign to run.

Other than a table lamp, the only light in the room came from the TV replaying ZNN's coverage of the attack silently. By now the interview footage was interspersed with commentary from experts and "experts" that the news network brought on to give their thoughts. Some staff member from the Turnbull campaign currently took up the screen, giving her spin on why Todd was wrong no doubt.

The fox and coyote weren't paying attention to the screen. They were both busy looking over polling data with some nervousness. Their latest round of polling put them in second, but as it stood, even with a boost from sympathy voters after the night's events the race would be tight at the most on election day. Nileworthy's supporters had been whittled down to a relatively small but dedicated group, and there was little hope of pulling votes from Turnbull.

"We have to do something," Todd said. Dakota nodded silently. Todd continued after a moment. "We have to keep Turnbull out of office."

"And more importantly, we need to get you in office."

After a few minutes of silent puzzling, Todd spoke up. "I've got an idea."

"What is it?"

"It's a long shot, but if it works then we might just win this election."


	15. Chapter Fifteen

The mayor's office: the most coveted room in Zootopia at the moment. The reception area was clean and well furnished, with comfortable chairs and surprisingly recent magazines. Todd, Hubert, and Dakota were sick of it. After nearly an hour of waiting, it was clear that they were being held up as a power play by the present occupant of the office ahead of their meeting. After an eternity, the receptionist, a doe who couldn't be older than 25, finally said "Mr. Renard, please follow me."

The receptionist led the group own a hallway to a stately mahogany door. She knocked before letting the group inside. "Mayor Nileworthy, Todd Renard."

"Thank you," between the grand desk and the panoramic view of downtown sat Interim Mayor John Nileworthy along with his campaign manager Hannah Cotton. He had clearly gone to some effort to look as mayoral as possible for this meeting, wearing a new suit and making a bit of a show of handing a stack of papers to Cotton.

Hannah smirked. "Dakota, what a pleasant surprise."

"We had an appointment," Dakota said curtly. Todd didn't have to look at her to feel Dakota tense up. It occurred to him that he never gave Dakota his answer after the debate, but at this point it went without saying.

"Mr. Renard, to what do I owe the pleasure?" Nileworthy extended a paw for a handshake. Everyone wore diplomatic smiles.

"We're here to discuss the race for mayor, and specifically your role in it," Todd said, returning the shake.

"What about it?"

"We'd like to know if you're interested in being my running mate."

Nileworthy paused, dropping the fake smile. "Interesting. You want me, the incumbent, to withdraw from the race so I can take a lower position on the totem pole under one of my biggest rivals? What makes you think I'd ever being interested in that?"

"Because you're seeing the same polling numbers we are. You both know that come election day you're leaving this office one way or the other. We're offering you a chance to stay in the building at least." Dakota said, a sharp chill in her voice.

"True, his numbers aren't great right now, but it'd be completely unprecedented for the incumbent to become the running mate. If anything, Todd should join _our_ campaign," Hannah leaned towards Todd, trying to coat her words with honey.

"It's also unprecedented to have an unelected sitting mayor. Precedent isn't playing a part in this race," Hubert countered.

"Regardless, it makes more sense for Todd to be my running mate. He doesn't have any elected experience and I already have experience as mayor," Nileworthy said.

"You know as well as we do that making Todd second on the ballot doesn't give you the supporters you need to win. You need to be the running mate," Dakota responded.

"Well, if I'm leaving this officer either way, why should I help _you_ win it from me?" He leaned toward Todd, impressing his size on the fox.

"Because it's a better deal that you'll get from Turnbull. You get to stay in city hall and influence policy, rather than watch everything Lionheart built get burnt to the ground," Todd replied, unfazed.

"But do you expect me to be assistant mayor forever? I'm not a young hippo and I _do_ hope to see the inside of this office again someday," Nileworthy said.

Todd thought for a moment, then leaned in a whispered something to Dakota, who whispered something back. He then whispered something to Hubert, who nodded. "What if I promised that at the end of my first term we'll discuss the possibility that I don't run for re-election and let you run instead?"

Nileworthy leaned back and pondered for a minute. Then he said "Could you step out for a moment to allow us to discuss your proposal?"

Back in the reception area, another half hour passed before the receptionist again called out "Mr. Renard?"

* * *

 

"Good evening, I'm Andy Lagopus in for Kitty Couric, and this is ZNN," The arctic fox in a blue suit read out. "Breaking news tonight: in a surprise announcement from the office of the Interim Mayor, Nileworthy has suspended his campaign to continue as mayor in order to join Todd Renard's campaign as _assistant_ mayor. This news comes on the heels of an attack made on Renard by a Turnbull supporter. Recent polls have put Nileworthy in an increasingly distant third to the other candidates. A sitting mayor has never before been the running mate of another candidate in Zootopia's history. When asked about this development, the office issued a statement saying 'Mayor Nileworthy and Todd Renard share common goals and a common vision for the future of Zootopia, and both mammals look forward to a productive relationship with one another.'"

Nileworthy shut off the tv in his office, turned off the lights, and left for the night.


	16. Chapter 16

"Hello and welcome to ZNN's special Election Day coverage of the race for Mayor of Zootopia. I'm Robert Cape, joined tonight by my co-host Martin Hall bringing you the latest news from the polls, as well as both candidates' camps," the frame struggled to contain both the water buffalo and his smaller cohort, an orange Marten less than half his height. "This has been quite the contentious race, with its share of unexpected developments."

"That's right, Rob. From Todd Renard's meteoric rise as a candidate to John Nileworthy's surprising exit, this race has certainly been unconventional," Hall added.

"Indeed, and with Renard and Turnbull taking such strong opposing stances on many issues, undecided voters make today's results anyone's game. Let's go to our reporter in the field, Jake Skyline, with the latest on the polls. Jake?"

The camera cut to an arctic wolf with a microphone standing outside a school-gym-turned-polling-place, but no one in the Renard Campaign Headquarters (Nileworthy's old base of operations) paid any attention to the screen. Dozens of volunteers talked on phones, reaching out to everyone whose doorbell they rang to get out the vote. On every laptop screen was a list of names and numbers of mammals that hadn't expressed hostility to the possibility of voting for Todd or Nileworthy in the past, along with a map of polling places to guide people to where to vote.

Senior staff, however, were busy preparing for every eventuality. Dakota and one of the speechwriters from Nileworthy's campaign were busy working on Todd and Nileworthy's speeches for if they won or otherwise. Hubert was on the phone with his editor at the Zootopia Times, trying to wring out any news he could ahead of time. Hannah Cotton, now Dakota's second in command much to her ego's chagrin, was busy directing the callbanks and keeping the volunteers in line. Meanwhile, Todd and Nileworthy stood around not fully certain what they needed to be doing at that particular moment.

Todd looked up at Nileworthy. "So, uh, I've never really been in this spot on an election day before…"

Nileworthy sounded equally confident. "I joined Lionheart's team after the last election."

"So we're in this together then,"

"Yep,"

After a moment, Dakota shouted "Turn up the TV, quick." Nileworthy fumbled with the remote for a second before finding the volume control.

"...confirmation that the first round of exit polls are being released," Jake Skyline reported. "In this first round it appears that...yes, Andrew Turnbull has taken a roughly three point lead over his opponent Todd Renard."

"Thank you, Jake. We would like to remind our viewers that these numbers are still preliminary, but it seems that Turnbull has taken a small lead in the polls so far. Here to discuss this with us is the author of…" Cape was cut off by Cotton re-muting the television.

"Let's go people, it doesn't matter how much they like us if they don't _vote!_ " she yelled to the volunteers, more intimidating than one would expect a bunny in a pantsuit could be.

A moment later, another rabbit - this one with black stripes on his head - entered followed by a camera crew. Dakota was up from her seat in a flash. "Mr. Renard, Mr. Nileworthy, Andrew Lundon from ZNN. Would you care to comment on-" the rabbit started.

Dakota stepped between Andrew and the candidates, "There will be no comment from the candidates until they approach the press themselves. Until then you have to wait with the rest of the press at the event location for tonight."

* * *

 

"Welcome back to ZNN. I'm Robert Cape and this is my co-host Martin Hall bringing you full coverage of this election day," the water buffalo announced.

"If you're just joining us, the first polling locations are just closing, and we're expecting the first official counts within the hour," Martin Hall said. "In the meantime, let's go to both candidates' election night events, starting with Andrew Lundon at Todd Renard's. Andrew?"

The camera cut to Lundon inside a hotel ballroom filled with tables, a stage erected at the front of the room. Above the stage hung a banner reading _Renard and Nileworthy for Zootopia_. The rabbit began. "Thank you Martin. We're here at the Lionheart Hotel in Savannah Central. The hotel is, of course, owned by the Lionheart family, who have been significant supporters of Nileworthy and later Renard's campaigns after their own Ariel Lionheart dropped from the race early on. Renard and Nileworthy arrived only moments ago, and are currently greeting guests," the camera focused on two figures in the background smiling and shaking hands. Noticeable at a front-row-center table were a fox and a rabbit in dress blues. "We attempted to speak with the candidates earlier after the first exit polls, but were turned away by their campaign manager. The final exit polls put Turnbull just slightly ahead but well within the margin of error. Regardless, the poll results haven't seemed to put a damper on the mood here tonight. Back to you, Robert."

"Thank you Andrew. Reporting from the Turnbull camp we have Mason-Dixon Smith. Mason?"

The camera cut to a prairie dog standing on top of a table in a nice restaurant to which a makeshift stage had been added. From the stage hung a sign reading "Vote Turnbull and Hart". Turnbull's running mate ended up being a deer lawyer with almost the opposite record of Todd, having represented nearly exclusively prey in his career. With the dramatic turn of events surrounding Todd's selection of running mate, Hart had fallen out of the limelight quickly. Mason-Dixon spoke up. "Thank you Robert. We're coming to you live from one of the restaurants owned by Turnbull Enterprises: Gazelle Cellars - not affiliated with the singer - in Sahara Square where Turnbull is hosting major donors and supporters. Obviously the news regarding the exit polls was well received here tonight. Despite how close the final polls were, it is clear that Turnbull is all but ready to read his acceptance speech. Back to you, Robert."

"Thank you for that report Mason-Dixon. During that coverage, the Meadowlands released their official vote tallies, the first district to do so tonight. With a 55-45 margin in the district, Andrew Turnbull has taken the first official lead this election day."

The news was met by a round of jeers from the assembly at the Lionheart Hotel. A short while ago a screen had been set up so the guests could monitor the news in real time. "I told you we should have gone digging for shady stuff in his past," Nick mostly-joked to Judy.

"Bogo's already breathing down our necks for endorsing Todd without permission. You want to give him more reasons to be mad?" Judy smirked.

Nick shrugged, "If Todd wins, what could Chief do?"

Elsewhere in the room, Nileworthy spoke with his one-time opponent Carlos Lupez. "Nileworthy, old friend, you got a minute?" the wolf reached to pat the hippo on the shoulder.

"Of course," Nileworthy replied.

"Excellent. Now, you promised me a spot in your city hall working on the city's environmental policy. The only issue is now it won't be _your_ city hall-" the wolf kept an amiable tone, but it was clear that his fangs were bared in spirit.

"I understand, and Renard and I will be deciding that for certain shortly, but right now it's neither of our's city hall."

"This isn't the last time we'll see each other tonight, then."

In a hallway adjacent to the ballroom, Todd sipped at a coffee in between forcing deep, slow breaths. The ballroom door opened, and shortly thereafter Todd heard Dakota's voice, surprisingly relaxed given the night."Your absence is conspicuous."

Todd looked up. Before the event Dakota had changed into a dark violet, almost black cocktail dress. She looked stunning. "Sorry," Todd muttered, turning his coffee in his paws aimlessly.

"Everything alright?"

"Just nervous," Todd sighed. "I only have a couple more hours before I know whether these last few months were a complete waste of time or not."

Dakota was quiet for a moment. "Well, as far as I'm concerned," she leaned with her back against the wall next to him. "Win or lose this wasn't a waste. A fox has never done what you've done before. Even though 'first fox mayor' may have a nice ring to it, you're making history either way. Plus, 'First Fox Candidate' doesn't sound that bad either," Dakota grabbed his arm. "Now, let's get going. Staying out here and stewing on it won't calm your nerves any."

As they re-entered, the larger-than-life marten on the screen announced: "Tundratown has officially released its vote tallies. Combined with the results from the Meadowlands, the race is now a dead heat with Todd Renard holding the slimmest of majorities."

The report continued, but it was drowned out by a round of cheers.

* * *

 

The night went on with the lead constantly changing hands. With the Canal District, Turnbull took it back, but lost it with the Rainforest District. Sahara Square reported later than expected because the vote was nearly exactly 50/50, and required a recount. Eventually, with only one district remaining the race could still go either way.

"We are ready to announce the results in Savannah Central, and with them the election," Robert Cape read. A tense silence fell over the room as all eyes were glued to the screen. Todd's heart beat so hard he thought it might be trying to escape. In his paws he clutched two speeches, and in only moments he would know which one he would give. He felt Dakota lay her paw on his shoulder, calming him slightly. "Carrying Savannah Central by a surprising margin, and the new mayor of Zootopia," Todd gulped nervously. He felt the news cameras around the room staring at him. "By a 53-47 margin, Todd Renard."

The room exploded into noise while confetti rained from the ceiling. For a moment, Todd was unable to move. He wasn't sure he had actually heard correctly. He won? He felt Dakota give him a gentle push on his back. He look at her and she gestured at the stage. Todd rose to his feet and stepped onto the stage. He felt like he was floating. The news broadcast behind him changed to live footage of his stage, projecting a larger than life image of himself behind him and to the whole city.

Todd took a deep breath to calm his nerves. "Ladies and gentlemammals," the crowd quieted. "Today our city said 'no' to fear, 'no' to hate, and 'no' to Turnbull. Today we have shown that at its heart, Zootopia truly is a city where anyone can be anything, that we reject a city where your lot in life is based on your biology. I am only a small part in a revolution taking place in Zootopia, a revolution rejecting the old ways of thinking: that rabbits are meek and helpless, hippos slow and blundering, and foxes sly and untrustworthy. We know now that it's not what's in your DNA that determines who you are, but what's in your heart. I look forward to helping you shape Zootopia in this image and building the city that we all know Zootopia can, should, and must be from city hall as your mayor. Thank you."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We've finally come to the end of this story! Took more time to get here than I wanted it to, but real life had to come first. I'd like to thank you all for putting up with me breaking all the rules of what people want in a fanfiction by almost entirely ignoring the main characters to tell a story outside of the main genre that the original media was :). And don't worry, this may not be the last time you see Todd Renard and friends: I have more ideas for stories involving these characters, Todd's new career is just beginning after all. They won't come right away, but I already have a plan for the next story I want to write, so if you like my style keep an eye out :)
> 
> Once again, thank you all, and I hope you'll join me next time around.
> 
> EDIT: Almost forgot to mention, but there's several cameos from my fellow staff at zootopianewsnetwork.com in this chapter! Robert Cape, as you may have guessed, is my own ZNN character. Martin Hall belongs to n00btankz. Jake Skyline belongs to Namicle. Andrew Lundon belongs to Andy (or O-Andy as we call him since there's 2). Mason-Dixon Smith belongs to QuirkyMiddleChild.

**Author's Note:**

> I've never been much of a fanfiction person (reading or writing). However, there was something about Zootopia that made me want to explore the world further. I haven't written prose like this in quite a while - my main genre right now is playwriting - but it felt good to shake a bit of the rust off.
> 
> As for this story in particular, it will be using primarily original characters. I've never been comfortable writing stories with other people's characters. However, Nick and Judy will play a small but significant role in this story as I have it planned now. I don't have a set update schedule because, as a college student, this story cannot be one of my top work priorities. The next couple chapters should be up soon, but I can't tell you when I'll be able to finish this story.


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